16 teams will take part in the Amgen Tour of California, from 13-20 May. The race organisers announced the invitations yesterday and the full list is available, for example on cyclingnews.com.
As usual, without a pedal being turned there’s satisfaction for some squads but disappointment and frustration for others. I won’t analyse every team’s chances but the invitation of Bontrager-Livestrong and the non-invitation of Team Type 1 are worth evaluating. Here’s a look.
It seems many riders have been pulling out of Tirreno-Adriatico. Yesterday we heard Philippe Gilbert, Edwald Boasson-Hagen, Matthew Goss and Lars Boom all left the race.
In fact 22 riders left the race yesterday for a variety of reasons. It sounds like a lot. It is. But it leaves 148 in the race which is exactly the same as this time last year. Only last year 160 riders started compared to 176 this year.
The photo above is from Vélo magazine and I used it to illustrate a piece about Bradley Wiggins’s shrinking frame size. For all the talk of losing weight, he’s also got much lower on his bike.
A final time trial to settle the race. Bradley Wiggins leads but only six seconds so the final overall classification is no formality.
During the classics season I’ll be doing some pieces for cyclingnews.com. I’m a regular reader of their site and did something similar last summer for the Tour de France. My first piece this year is about the classics and they way their format changes to suit the times.
The race arrives in Nice today only there’s the small but vital matter of the time trial tomorrow to settle the result. But today could still prove decisive given the technical course and that it’s the chance for several riders to try something.
Luis Leon Sanchez and Jens Voigt throw their bikes at the finish line but Sanchez was the faster finisher whilst Voigt faded in the last 20 metres.
Today’s route is very scenic and passes tourist destinations, restaurants and vineyards. There’s no time for riders to stop but perhaps some will have a rest today.
Lieuwe Westra heads for the finish line whilst a select group led by yellow jersey Bradley Wiggins chases.